Yakuza Paranoia III: Acid Town
by Yuruki14
Summary: Fate has brought Zero and Yuuki together, but when one is diagnosed with a terminal disease, what's the other to do? He needs money to keep his love alive, but with a limited income, he resorts to theft. Little does he know exactly whom he steals from... Onesided ZeroxYuuki Manipulative Kaname x Stubborn Zero Mafia fic! YAOI! DomSub relations.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Fate has brought Zero and Yuuki together, but when one is diagnosed with a terminal disease, what's the other to do? He needs money to keep his love alive, but with a limited income, he resorts to theft. Little did he know whom exactly he was stealing from… Slight, past ZeroxYuuki, Manipulative Kaname x Stubborn Zero Mafia fic!

So here's the thing, I have this Yakuza Paranoia series going on, but each is its own story and I kinda skipped the second one… and the first is a Naruto fanfic… Idk, I just had a lot of mafia stories in my head and I figured it'd be easier to keep track of them if they were somehow categorized in the same field, so this is how I did it haha The second story is also for VK, but it's completely unrelated to this one, so if you like this one, you might not like the other. Just a heads up :P Or you might like them both, I don't know.

AND, I hate to admit this, but it's been a veeeeery long time since I've read the VK manga or watched the anime, but I read a lot of the fanfiction, so if the characters are OOC, then it really is my fault. BUT I will try my best… we'll see where it goes…

Also, this fic is based (loosely) off the manga Acid Town, which happens to be one of my favorite manga of all time. Hence the title.

Warnings for the story: Well… I can honestly say I don't know yet. But it's a mafia story… so obviously cursing, bloodshed, gun pointing, knife throwing, thievery, and other general gang doings. It's also yaoi, so MxM and of course dom/sub relations. Kaname is a little too controlling for his own good.

Warnings for this chapter: Generally just some lovey dovey stuff between Zero and Yuuki. But don't worry, it's only the prologue! Maybe some swearing, it depends on how desperate Zero gets. I'm not a Yuuki basher, but for this story it might seem like it. I actually like Yuuki and have nothing against her! xD It's also a very depressing start to a fic… but I hope you'll like it anyway cuz it won't be getting any happier.

**Yakuza Paranoia III: Acid Town**

**Chapter I: Prelude to Battle**

Winter has come.

Pure, white snowflakes, as gentle as a lullaby, charily descend to the dirty ground, delicate in their placement. It's too early in the year for the snow to stick yet, so it melts on contact, absorbing into the soil as effortlessly as rain—moistening the earth. Heavy, rubber boots cakes in the sludge, weighing me down with every trek, but I have a mission, a place to be. No amount of mud will keep me from there, either. Warmth, radiating more intensely than the summer sun, consumes and overflows that place. That welcoming kindness derives from the people that dwell within, not so much the exterior. That one, special place is my home, that's not actually my home but a family. A family I've acquired through hardships and trial. Even if that home were covered in a sheet of ice, that heat, though buried, would find its way to the surface, would overcome the cold darkness and glow as brightly as a star. That's why, even as the snow falls, I care not of the freezing temperatures and slick land. Only for the place I'm headed.

Air, bitter enough to turn ones breath into condensation, breaks against my wooly winter coat, which is the only thing keeping me from hypothermia. Hood of said coat, its dark color contrasting greatly with the fairness of the skin of my face, shadows over my eyes to create an illusion of mysteriousness. The bulkiness of the seasonal design means to protect against the harsh wind, like a shield, but I dare to say that it metaphorically also guards against the idea of melancholy this time of the year brings along with it. December is a surreal month, whether it's because the holidays make us reflect on who we are or because the lack of UV rays messes with our bodies natural balance, we always do the most sulking in winter.

Still, even in November the atmosphere shrouds in impending doom.

There's a bridge, made of brick and mortar (like in the song) only this one doesn't collapse, and unlike in "London Bridge is Falling Down," it extends into a gravel road—that hasn't been raked in decades and is disjointed by rows of overgrown weeds—into the woods. The substantial forests surrounding the manmade trail are something pulled right out of a fairytale, where rabid wolves eat little girls and princesses get locked away in towers or find a house full of dwarves. Ominous is a good word to describe them, but I fear it isn't exactly correct, though true. Creepy, apprehensive, or downright sinister would also be good, descriptive words, but what it appears to be isn't what it is. The woods, normally concealed in thick, hazy clouds of fog, are actually a peaceful place where birds sing soulfully and deer graze the bark off the trees in preparation for hibernation. Quiet, plaintively serene.

At the end of that extension, toward the very middle of the wooded area, is an isolated, gleaming house. My home, where the warmth I love so much still shimmers invisibly out of every crack. The chimney is alive with smoke from a toasty fire, the smell of which I recognize as it's burned into my memory—one of many things that remind me of where I live. Inside, through the front window, I hear the clatter of metal pots colliding with one another. A sure sign that Yuuki is in the kitchen. It's only more confirmation when a high pitched squeal assaults my ears, followed by more collisions.

I chuckle under my breath as I enter the front door, knowing Cross keeps it unlocked when he's here, and head straight for the kitchen. I don't even stop to set down my belongings, but I have to as I go to pick my younger friend up off the wooden floor. Just as I suspected, a catastrophe of kitchenware is scattered across the room and atop Yuuki. She laughs as I pull her up, clutching onto my black coat. She's just as I remember her. The same predictable, clueless snow princess.

_How long have we been together?_

Night casts itself upon this side of the planet sooner than dinner is made, or even started. When I found Yuuki earlier, she was attempting to start cooking, but I, with the desperate help from Cross, convinced her to let me handle it. After all of these years, the girl still hasn't perfected her culinary skills like a proper lady. Not that I should be talking… there aren't too many men who admit to doing household chores, let alone doing them well.

Before we eat, however, I set about unpacking with the help of my two family members. Cross is his usual embarrassing self, often insisting too intently to call him 'Father' but I only do that in my head. He isn't my real father, after all, and I can't overfeed his ego. He knows I care, so that's enough for now. Calmly, I express to him my objections at calling him as he wishes, but that only results in tears. Damnit. I give him a pat on the shoulder, taking the precious ornament he has in his hands away from him before he breaks it. In turn, I also have to confiscate the katana I've had since I was little from Yuuki before she breaks herself.

"Sorry, Yu, you're not big enough to play with grown up toys." Says I as I place them on their holders on top of my dresser. That piece of furniture is placed opposite to the door, so as one walks in, it'll essentially be the first thing he or she sees, an intimidation tactic I learned from my real parents.

"Zero-nii, I'm not that much younger than you!"

"That doesn't excuse your size." I smirk, which ends with a hard punch to my arm, though playful in nature. In actual fact, Yuuki isn't that much shorter than me. She's not a very big girl, either, yet over the years she's grown. I probably have twenty pounds on her, as I'm not very big myself. She obviously isn't seriously angry with me or she'd have pointed that out.

By the time the job of unpacking is done, we're all exhausted, our stomachs protesting their emptiness. I set about preparing our meals, grabbing the needed ingredients and appliances. My brunette friend, although I'd like to call her something much more dear, sets the table, and our dad preheats the oven and chops up various vegetables. Soon enough we're passing out plates and saying our prayers, then digging into our homemade chicken dumplings. They're delicious, if I do say so myself, but that could be the starvation talking. I haven't had a warm, home cooked meal since the last time I was here.

I take my time eating, savoring it as if it's my last. The carrots and celery dissolve to mush, much like the mashed potatoes, on my tongue, thoroughly chewing the chicken bits to assure all the juicy flavor is drained out before swallowing the over masticated grub. I don't always eat like this, but it's been so long… it's heavenly and I indulge myself without a second thought, savoring every little bit.

_ I ask you that all the time._

The sound of a silverware stopping has me looking up, to which Cross's eyes meet mine. He'd stopped eating and is now gazing his golden orbs in my direction. I know what's coming, a whirl of Q&A that'll have my head spinning by the time we're done talking. Am I prepared for it? I have to be where Cross is concerned. Does it bother me? Not as much as it used to. I sigh, setting my fork down as well, and getting ready for the onslaught…

That never comes. His eyes, golden as the setting sun, shifts their gaze to Yuuki, then back to his plate. Something's wrong, I can feel it. My eyes narrow in contemplation, trying to figure out just what. My purple irises move to the brunette girl across from me, but she's still eating, seemingly unaware of the transgression between our adopted father and I. Something… something's not right. Obliviousness is her forte, but is it really this extreme in degree?

I decide to inquire on my own. "How have things been around here?" I ask while picking my fork from off the table and once again digging in. Both other inhabitants stop dead, lift their heads slowly to look at each other, then at me. Curious, but I keep my thoughts to myself.

"They've been swell, of course, Zero. Why ever would they not be?" Cross speaks, sweat building on his brow. From the steaming dumplings or… something else, I wonder.

Yuuki swallows down a bite of food she's kept in her mouth until now. "Yeah, everything's wonderful. I got a really high score on my ACT's, well, my best friend (A/N: I forgot the girls name?) got a higher score than I did. She's a super genius, though, so she deserves a high score—the highest even." Another bite guzzles down her esophagus.

Something's still up, but I don't press the matter. If it's very serious, I'll find out sooner or later, it's just the issue of patience that I seldom have much of.

Soon my plate is cleared of all edible substances, and if I weren't due for an hour long shower that includes three scrub downs, two wash-rinse-repeats and conditions, a few battles with a comb and nail clippers, and a hunt for a toothbrush, I'd have gotten seconds. I'll have time for more food later, I conclude, as I'll be staying for a long while this time around.

We're all done a few minutes later, and we set about cleaning the table. Yuuki and I gather the plates, the silverware, the cups, and whatever else needs picked up, while Cross goes to the stove to get those dirty dishes. I'm in charge of rinsing, Yuuki of loading the dish washer, and Cross says he'll empty it out once it's done with its cycle.

_ You say eleven years, but it feels so much longer._

There's not much else to do besides wipe off the tabletop, so when that's done I decide it's time for that shower I need.

"Yeah, you had better." Yuuki says, pinching her nose shut in a dramatic play, using her other hand to move the air in front of her. "You smell like death, Zero-nii. You're lucky I could stand it long enough to eat dinner with you near!"

A joke, I finalize, but why does it sound so forced? It's obvious that I reek of blood and sweat, and I assumed she'd be the first to say something, but she's waited all this time to articulate it and even now it seems as though her joke… isn't a joke. If she really were going to _rigoler,_ wouldn't it come out light, sarcastic, or thrown in with a few hearty chuckles. Or is she really insulting me by stating the evident? No, the snow princess isn't like that, so once again I feel that something's wrong. "Are you okay, Yu?"

A small smile graces her features as she turns to walk into the living room with our adopted father. "Of course," she says without looking at me. "Of course."

Once again, rather curious, but I say nothing and depart up the steps cautiously, down the hall, around the corner, and into the bathroom. It's remained unchanged since the last time I was here, a clawed porcelain and faux gold tub, a bowl sink to match, a pristine white toilet in the corner, and a baby blue rug and bath towel set. The crack in the yellowing floor tile has been there for half a decade, along with the broken toothbrush holder and the smudged stain on the mirror that can't wipe away. Nothing too fancy or too disgusting, but definitely familiar, definitely home.

I turn the water all the way over to hot, knowing that it never gets too hot to withstand because of our antique water heater. While I wait for the cool water to heat up, I take the time to undress and hunt for a toothbrush. When I find one, the water still isn't warm, so I decide to brush my teeth first and foremost. It's finally warm enough to turn the shower head on and step into, so that's what I do once I'm done with brushing my teeth.

After weeks without cleanliness, the water feels so incredible, even at only slightly above room temperature.

I lather my hair first, starting at the top and working my way down. My ears, my face, my neck, my torso… god it all feels so amazing, all of it. I would stay in here all night if I could, just letting the water run down to wash away all of the impurities. Maybe if I stay under long enough the liquid will reach my soul and wash out the impurities there as well.

_ A single moment I spend with you seems dragged on and on, but when I look to my memories and recall it, it's all too fast._

By the time I'm done I've thoroughly scrubbed everywhere and there's not a trace of stink left on me. Yuuki will be pleased, I muse, chuckling just a little bit at the irony.

Newly placed lilacs are placed on my dresser, the first thing I see when I walk into my room. I don't take the time to dwell upon a suitable explanation for them to appear, most likely they've been put there by Yuuki as she's in love with the idea of the flower representing my persona, and instead go on the hunt for appropriate nighttime attire. I don't have actual pajamas, so I look through my bags with the intent on finding anything semi-comfortable for sleeping. When I find next to nothing expect for a blue T-shirt, I take extreme measures and dump my bag and all its remnants onto my linen sheet-covered futon. Once everything's spread out to where I can see it, I pull out a pair of grey sweats and decide that they will now and for the remainder of my stay here be used as PJ bottoms. They're comfy enough, I suppose.

A pair of black house slippers that I've never seen before sit on the floor next to my bed, nearly hidden underneath. I put them on without a second thought about the subject and reckon that they also must be from Yuuki. Aw, sweet Yuuki, none is more caring than you. If only you knew how much I appreciate all of the little things you do for me. I think I'll tell you, this time, that I do notice those little things, that they do make me happy. Maybe you'll be flattered to know, maybe you'll hug me and say how silly I am for thinking as I do. Maybe, for all of the things I do for you, you'll kiss me…

But that's a selfish thought, perhaps, in and of itself. I love you, and you know this proven truth as you know every line, every vein on the back of your hand. You know, but my feelings aren't reciprocated. I respect that, and respect your boundaries, as I may love you, but it has not driven me to madness. I give you your space, I give you your choice, your choice that isn't me. It isn't me, but I can deal… I can live with your decision.

If only you would realize how much of what I do is all for you. I risk my life everyday so that you're safe, so that you're happy. But I do that not for props, not to earn brownie points from you, but to merely express my love in a unique way, to show you that I'm willing to go to extremes to protect you. Please, just don't be angry with me. I know you'd hate for me to get hurt. But I won't, I swear, because I have a goal, I have my light. That florescence at the end of my tunnel is the warmth my home radiates, the one that leads me through the darkness and gives my eyes something to set on when things seem unbearable. A light to guide me, a light to influence me, a light to save me… that's you, Yuu.

That's why—a yell from below has me jolting from my thoughts. What was that? I stop, and listen.

A series of theatrical crashes sounds throughout the house, painful noises that make my heart race in anticipation. I call down, wondering what's going on, but receive no instant reply. I call again, to Cross, to Yuuki directly, this time already making my way towards my bedroom door. Once again, no reply, but hushed whispers I can barely make out. I open the door, holler again, and this time… I've been heard.

The voice, Cross's is edgy, frantic. "Zero, get down here. Hurry!"

What is it, I inquire to myself. What could it be that's got Cross so panicked, so non-Cross? My heart's thumping so loudly in my ears I'm nearly turned insane with the constant of it, my fear, my weakness, my resolve to continue forward. Not skipping a beat, I race down the hall and jump down the steps in a flurry of flawless movements, just as I've been trained to do, and reach the living room in no time.

_ I try to cherish every minute like I'll die the next because when I'm with you I feel like I'm in a dream._

A quick, jab-like motion has my head turning to assess the damage.

Red blood turns blue, runs cold, freezes even, at the sight before me.

Eyes bulge with horror, tears of confusion, uncertainty, and frustration swelling within them.

My walloping heart stops instantly, dead in its tracks.

My once functioning brain is unable to will my muscles into action.

What do I do? What do I think? I think I'm incapable of thinking at this point.

For there, upon the floor, lay the unconscious body of the girl I love, her head being nursed by our adopted father. A girl who must have fallen and fell onto the hardened wood floor.

"-ro! Zero!" The blood in my ears must've pooled because I can't understand a word he's saying to me, even as he yells, pleads, screams at me to grab the phone. The phone? Why do I need that thing? You want me to grab it? If you want it so bad, you can go get it yourself! "Zero, please, for the love of god snap out of it!"

Zero, that's me, right? That's who I am? What do you want Cross? Where's Yuu… Where's…?

_Yuuki_, I remember. Yuuki's in trouble. She needs me, she needs me to call an ambulance.

I do. I rush towards the wall phone as fast as I can, not worrying about being coordinated enough to dodge the walls and various furniture to get to it. "Hello, 911, what is your emergency?"

"My sister, she's…" What is she again? I can't recall what's happened.

The operator on the other end speaks, and knocks me from my continuous trance. "Your sister is what, sir?"

"My sister collapsed!" I finally articulate, heart rate once again picking up. "I'm not sure what happened…"

"Where are you right now, sir?"

I proceed to tell her all of the information she requests or brush off the one's I have no clue about, feeling faint with the emotions tearing me from the inside. I'm not entirely sure how I should feel, but I know I have to see Yuuki, so when I hang up the phone, I rush back into the room in which she collapsed and drop to her side carelessly, but careful enough to avoid impact with her. My concern for Yuuki far out ways that of Cross's at this very moment, so I pay him no heed either. When he look's at me and speaks, my mind is not on the words he forms, but the words that aren't coming from my love's lips.

"Yuuki…" I whisper. "Yuuki," Louder this time. "Are you okay? Will you say something, anything, please? Yuuki…"

But she wouldn't… couldn't.

By the time the ambulance arrives, they have to pry Yuuki out of my arms to put her on the stretcher. The realization of the severity of the situation hits when I take a long look at the red and blue lights flashing through the windows, and the sirens of the unneeded police cars. Tears, previously unshed, cascaded down my pale cheeks, staining.

What's going to happen? I think as I'm lead into the back of the ambulance with the unconscious Yuuki. Her peaceful face is enough to remind me of death… death that is soon to come. More tears, more hopelessness. As of now I don't care who sees me cry. I thought I had it all together, but something like this can easily tear me down. The irony of a cold-blooded murderer, someone who's been trained to kill without remorse, mourning for anyone nearly has me laughing at myself in disgust. But I don't laugh because it's Yuuki.

_ Like you're not real… I'm not… and this, us, isn't either._

I grab her hand, chilly to the touch, and keep it wrapped in mine all the way to the hospital. Cross, who followed the ambulance with his car all the way here, and I must sit in the waiting room while Yuuki's being looking at in the ER room, but in my head I'm still grasping it. Each second that ticks by I'm waiting to feel her again, so that I know she's okay, but I have to wait… and wait… and wait. I close out the noises from my ear, the images from my eyes, even the smells, and focus soulfully on the memory of Yuuki's hand in mine.

Cross is ignored, the amount of time I spend in the waiting room is also ignored. Nothing matters to me now except that one thing, and brooding on it has time passing by like a freight train, and I'm almost scared to reach out and stop it.

_ It's strange, you think, the way I idolize you, but to me it's natural._

"Zero, there's something I should tell you…"

At first I pay no mind to my adopted father, telling myself that anything important he has to say can wait until later when Yuuki is safe in bed at home. But he's persistent, repeating my name again and again until I'm forced to look at him just to shut up that annoying hole in his face. "What, Cross?"

There's a look on his face, one of depressed and tired agony that indicates restless nights and long hours of worrying. Right away I know that everything I've been wondering about since I got home is about to be revealed. "Yuuki has been… sick for a while."

"Sick?" I question. "She not sick, she's just… she just hasn't been getting enough sleep, like you. Her body was just too tired and she passed out, but she'll be oka—"

"Zero," he says, and my denial of the inevitable comes to a halt. "Zero, Yuuki was diagnosed with cancer five months ago."

"W-what?" My lungs can't seem to get enough air in them, and before I know it I'm hyperventilating and my right side is going numb fast. A panic attack, I reason, and my body doesn't want to sit still. It _can't_ sit still.

Before I can move, a large hand that lands on my shoulder and interrupts my thoughts, but upon realizing its owner, I jolt right into awareness. I look up at him, my neck chinking from (possibly) hours of sitting in one position. Indifference is the only emotion displayed on his professional face, much as gloom is on mine. Although I've been trained to hide my feelings, now, for some reason, I cannot. With a clear voice, though full of penitence, fake or not I do not know, the doctor speaks. "Are you the family of Yuuki Cross?"

I nod, once again not looking or regarding Cross in any manner.

"Yes, we are." I hear him answer the man.

"I'm Dr. Yano, I'm the doctor who worked on Ms. Yuuki."

My body instantly produced enough adrenaline to snap my hysterical eyes up to the man in white and stand, clasping his gown covered shoulders in a desperate attempt to grasp onto reality. "Is she okay? What's wrong with her? Why did she collapse?"

He looks on with his indifferent eyes, deep into mine, as if they're one in the same, but inside I'm reeling—unable to process what's happening and I'm going into physiological shock because of it—and he is calm, although most likely troubled. He sees sick people everyday, watches them die and is forced to put on a face. I've seen my share of sick people too… including people I've loved. I refuse to lose another one. I'm not losing Yuuki.

_ I love you so much, I'd do anything to stay with you, and I believe you'd do the same._

I tune out again, only listening to bits and pieces of what the doctor is saying, but I tune back in to one thing, and one thing only. "…She only has six months to live, tops, but you may go and see her now. She's asleep in her recovery room."

I don't think I've ever ran faster in my life, even when getting chased by blood thirsty animals who wanted to tear out my throat and gorge on my flesh and pick their teeth with my filed, ravaged bones. I don't think I've ever been so suffocated in that elevator, even when said beasts would get so close as to wrap their disgusting clawed hands around my neck and _squeezed_. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see anyone in my _life_ as I am when I walk into the room dictated by the nurses as Yuuki's and actually catch a glimpse of her soft brown hair, her pale, sickly complexion, and the gentle rising and falling of her breathing, much alive, chest.

She's _alive._ She's here, in reality, and I'm not crazy. She can't just leave, can't just vanish from existence in six months as if she was never even here. I won't let her, she can't.

I collapse in a chair by her bedside. I don't hesitate to grab her hand and hold on to it like a lifeline or an assurance to my sanity, impossibly tight and bruising. "Yuuki," I cry. "Yuuki, how could this happen?"

And how _could_ it happen? Doesn't god think I've suffered enough in my life without losing another person I care about? Does he think I'm incapable of breaking, because right now I feel, for the first time, Like I'll crack under the pressure, but does he care? What if he wants me to break? If he wants to see my soul tortured like this?

"Yuuki, please, please, wake up… Don't leave me… I'm so sorry."

I need to see her beautiful, soulful eyes flutter open and focus in on me, I need to feel her happy smile, and hear her heartfelt words as she talks to me again, just once more so I know that she's alright, and then she can go back to sleep. Just wake up for one second, just one, please…

"I love you… so much."

_ Even if you don't love me like I want you to, I've decided that I'll always protect you._

My voice is drained, the adrenaline that's been pumping through my system has worn me out and done more damage to me than benefits, and I find myself becoming tired.

But I don't pass out, I stay awake, I stay by her side until she wakes up the next afternoon, even when I have to pound my head against the bed frame to keep me up. I do this because I don't want her waking up by herself, alone like I always am.

_ Always._

Perhaps my love for you _has_ driven me to madness.

**XOXOXO**

Alright, here it is. One of my new/old ideas is finally out on this site! I'm very excited to see what everyone thinks of it so far. I know it's just the beginning…

Please review if you liked it and if you didn't, well, tell me what you didn't like!

But if you ARE going to review, here are some things I'm curious/concerned about:

I really need to know if I kept the characters in character pretty well, or if I didn't. If they're too OOC I need to fix it, so PLEASE tell me haha

Kaname isn't going to show up until a later chapter, I want to keep things going slow, so are you willing to wait to see him or would you like to see SOMETHING about him in the next chapter? It won't hurt the story if I do or don't, so reader's choice!

Yuuki and Zero's relationship is obviously a little more than platonic, but can you endure it for the sake of the story? I'm not going to give anything away, but their romance will only last a short while, anyway. AND, in the manga and such Zero and Yuuki are bro/sis but Zero still has a thing for Yuuki, and well, Yuuki has a thing for her "real" brother, so if it creeps you out that Zero still likes Yuuki when they're siblings, I'm sorry. They aren't really related, still adopted, but y'know… it all flows with my story, I promise.

Of course, the Vampire Knight fandom is filled with people who like incest… I mean, ZeroxIchiru, KanamexYuuki, RidoxKaname, KainxAido… You get my point. Not that I'm complaining because some of those I LOVE, but I personally have no problems with weird fetishes. And some people don't even really care that they're related and just read fics with a particular pairing because they like the paring. But for those of you who DO care, please don't worry, they aren't REALLY related in this story. Not even Yuuki and Kaname.

Did I give you all too many spoilers? If I did, I apologize lol. I like to talk a lot in beginning/end notes, but I try to put enough actual story in so that no one gets frustrated with me.

Anyway, thank you for reading! See you in the next chapter!

Yuruki


	2. Chapter 2

I'm all strung out with different stories that I can't stay focused on one for any set amount of time T.T my brain refuses to stay on track, and for that, I am so sorry.

But here is the second chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it. It may or may not be worth the wait, but we'll see haha.

Warnings: Just further plot development before Kaname shows up in the next chapter! =D And some cussing, and a little bit of ZeroxYuuki fluff. Not much, though, so don't be alarmed.

**Yakuza Paranoia III: Acid Town**

**Chapter II: Determination to Prevail**

When has it come to be that I am the one laying helplessly awake in my lonely bed as night falls, until the sun rises in all it's bright god-like beauty, away from the other's that dwell within this unholy confinement? Metaphorically, I'm trapped in this house with the reality that the one girl I've sworn myself to is soon to disembark from the material world and enter into a realm I'd quickly follow through, if she'd wish it so. I'd gladly follow through, if I otherwise didn't know that I'd for sure not travel upward to the sky, to the place she'd undoubtedly reside. I fear in my current mental state, if she were to leave me, I'd do everything in my power to corrupt her soul, for there is no hope for mine.

As it is, I cannot bare to look at the young woman who has been my best (my only) friend since the beginning of my new life. My heart turns to ice at the fear that envelopes it with such a simple thought as what _could_ happen to Yuuki, what isn't definite to happen if I have anything to say about it. Alone, I think of other things, keep my mind occupied away from anything troubling. It's only when I look upon the sick, weakened form of my dear one that the horridness of the truth I can't accept pounds at my guarded mind in a mantra of, '_it will, it will.'_

_All of my earliest memories evolve around the cold, the snow, the winter season. There's something about snow that seems to tie itself into my destiny, even against my greatest desires. If I have to guess, I'll say that perhaps my actual birthday is within a month that the frozen water overcomes, but I do not know for certain. My rebirth, however, is. Recollection of a time before my rebirth as a new species isn't possible, or at least isn't yet. I don't remember a friend, a family member, a name I had before that dreaded night. All I have are the stories Cross tells me, of a brother who's name escapes me, parents whose faces' I can't picture, and a Hunter name that only means something to me because it's my profession. Every time I try to remember, the permanent, fateful scar on the left side of my neck reacts badly, often painfully. So I keep my thoughts away from that, as well._

These unfortunate events in my past don't faze me, though even I know that had it been anyone else, they'd be haunted by the times they can't recall and most likely fail to function as a human being. I also know the reason I can overcome such obstacles is through the new family I've acquired. They've helped me through my most troubling times, through the darkness of my own heart. Yet I cannot even grace the woman who's been there with me through it all even the slightest of glances. I cannot help her with her ill-fortune and most certainly not with the grief she's feeling. I look upon myself as a coward, one who won't—not just who cannot—face the demons he's afraid of.

I refuse to let it expand to something deadly. I'll do everything in my power to stop it from ever reaching that point, I just have to be wary of my own state of mind as well as hers. There's much too hard for me to handle on my own, and I risk everyday I'm around her, having my resolve crumble to the floor to be walked over.

A few months have withered by since I've been home—each day ever longer than the last after what has happened. They drag on endlessly, to the point where I can't even distinguish between day or night, and now it's as if we're living through the motions until something awful happens. I refuse to think of just what and go back to rubbing at my aching forehead. It's agony, really, waiting for something to happen but blatantly wishing it isn't anything dire. I'm constantly reminded by Yuuki's coughs and gasps of illness of what's to come if I don't do anything, and soon.

There's been too many incidents where I've locked myself in my room just to get away from the truth, but where Yuuki would find me and relentlessly bang on the door until I answered her. There's nothing more in this world I want than to speak to her full-heartedly and innocently, like we used to, but I have to deny myself the privilege. It's on a need-to basis after my realization that I'm unable to say anything passed the deep depression and forming tears.

Cross hints that I'm causing Yuuki far more emotional distress that I ought to due to her infirmity, but he should understand more than any of us that this is taking a toll on all of us. It's wearing all of us down so far that our adopted father spends his nights awake worrying over what's to come, much as I do, and often passes out in the middle of the day from exhaustion and overexertion. Lately, as Yuuki cannot and I will not, he's been taking over all of the household chores and even brought it upon himself to resume his hunter duties to ring in more cash that we're desperately in need of. I've also witnessed transactions between him and Yagari, borrowing money to pay for Yuuki's expenses that I'm not really sure he'll be able to pay back.

I've also taken on more cases than a hungry, drained Level D has any right to. I've stopped ordering blood tablets—because they're too costly—to sustain my hunger in order to sustain Yuuki's. Keeping her strength up is much more important than me, mine. She's first, always has been in my book. Suffering just a fraction of what she's suffering through won't make up for the part of me that blames this ordeal on myself.

_Whenever it snows, I'm reminded of my dear friend—based not solely on the meaning of her name, but also that of the circumstances in which we met._

_ I had spent a year with Cross after the incident in which I lost my memory. Him and my Hunter Master were checking out a case that involved reported eye-witness accounts of strange creatures plaguing an abandoned mansion that had fallen only a short couple weeks after the last—and longest—owner of the said house had died. Whether both incidents are corresponding is up to viewer interpretation. Needless to say, those mysterious creatures were diagnosed as Level Ends, which is never good, so the Association stepped in._

_ Kaien and Yagari didn't take me with them, as I was just shy of mature enough to handle their misshapenness and cruel, insidious intent. I waited out in the fallen blanket of white fluff for well over half a day, but I don't remember ever feeling cold or vexed. I had a distinct fear of being alone when I was a child, much apposed to now since I very much love my solitude. I didn't want to be alone in the house, so I did the only natural thing for me to do at the time and built a snowman to keep me occupied until they came back._

_ When together they returned to the house, there was one extra set of feet that crossed over into our yard. The human—what I could only presume to be a human—was covered in blood, but I could smell that there were no open wounds out which her blood would ooze. It was a relief, though the blood still drove my new D senses wild and I had to be ushered into the house by Master. That was the first time I saw her though, and she was a fright to behold. Passed the beautiful, delicately falling ice flakes, stood the most grotesque being (to that point I had not yet seen a real Level E) I'd ever laid eyes on, and yet I was intrigued. She was young, like me, and had obviously been through as much as I had._

_ It was only later, after she had cleaned herself off that I knew who she was and how she got here, though that's a story for another time._

I'm interrupted by a pounding at my bedroom door. I'm hesitant to answer it, uncertain if it's my adopted father or sister, neither one I particularly want to speak with. Unfortunately for whoever is on the other side of my locked, oak wood door, I'm not going to answer him or her. With a grunt I roll on my side facing away from the noise, but it's relentless. That's how I know it's Yuuki, and that now I'm definitely not answering it.

There's a bathroom connected to my bedroom, kind of small, but modern and very clean. It's white tiles with blue and gold trim and decor, pretty unoriginal, but it's easy on the eyes. I decide to ignore the brunette as best I can by turning on the shower head and thinking of other things(again) while I bathe. My bones pop and groan as my worn-down, emaciated body tries to move out of the bed, but I tough it out. A few dragged seconds later, a few more knocks, and I'm standing and searching quickly for something to change into after my shower.

Just as I step into the bathroom and start for the sink to brush my teeth, something stops me dead in my tracks.

A quiet, soft plead comes from the mouth of the girl I've never been able to deny. "Please, Zero… please just talk to me." Clothes rustle and a thud echoes in my ears as her knees connect to the hard wood floor. But it takes the smell of salty liquid reaching my nostrils to fully put me in a state of awareness. _Yuuki…_

Hesitantly, I drop the clean clothes bunch to the ground and trek like a zombie, uncoordinated and objectively, to the door. I drop to my ass and lean against the wood frame for much needed support. If this is the way, the only thing I can do to help, then so be it. My voice is weak, raspy from the strain I've been putting on myself. "O-okay," I clear my throat to talk a little clearer. "But like this."

I'm close to tears myself.

A small gasp leaves the lips of my girl, and more tears fall. I can picture her crying ugly like a new born babe, but since it's her, it doesn't deter me. I smile fondly, just a little, at the memories I have of her. They're probably the only thing I'll have left soon. "Can't you let me in? You're never here anymore and when you are, I never see you. We haven't spoken in months and I'm forced to endure this when I know you're right in front of me with only this hunk of tree between us?" Her voice is just as broken as mine, but in a different way. Sure, both of our bodies are failing us, but mine is practically deliberate as I will not take from a human.

"You think I like this either?!" I whimper, wanting so bad to fuck all of my logic and rip open this door to finally hold Yuuki in my arms again. With my Vampire hunger eating at my self control, it's a wonder I haven't crashed through and splintered everything in my path yet. But I stay strong and stay where I am. "I just… It's too much—I can't."

A few moments of silence passes between us as I listen to her pounding heart, full of wonderful crimson blood and the expanding of her lungs as she inhales and exhales. Strangely, instead of setting my senses off the rocker, I'm calmed by the rhythm her sickly body still maintains as she strains against more(still) tears. "I know… sometimes I can't either. But that's why I need you, Zero! I need you to talk to me again, so I don't feel like I'm going through this alone anymore… That I'm not alone… I need my brother back. I need my best friend."

I keep quiet as she continues.

"…Everyday I fake a smile to Cross and I think to myself that dying—"

"You won't."

She pauses just a moment at my outburst then starts again. "—might not be so bad… But I'm lying to him and to myself. I don't want to die, Zero. Not like this. Not all alone with my best friend not speaking to me and my own father putting on a face for me just as I am for him. It's a time that calls for comfort, not dishonest illusions that maybe I'll get better and maybe everything will turn out okay. But you know as well as I do—"

"Shut up, Yuuki."

"—that the inevitable—"

"I said, shut up! I don't want to listen to this!"

"It will happen, Zero! I will die!"

I stop, mouth agape. Yuuki's never yelled like that, and I can tell it's hurt her voice. She tried to get me to listen but I wouldn't. Now I am. She's got my undivided attention. It's quieter this time, almost inaudible, but I know that she knows that I can hear her all the same. "If it keeps going on like this… I will."

A frantic heartbeat reaches my ears. One that I am so sure is dead, until I realize it's from my own chest. It hurts, the pounding against my ribs, and I curl in on myself to suppress the pain that's even greater than that of my empty stomach. My hands go to my head, cradling. _Please, please, why can't this be a dream?_ But it can't be. I've been living in this nightmare for too long, but the worst thing is that it _isn't _a nightmare. It's real. And the reality is that Yuuki could… Yuuki could die. I think that's the first time since the beginning that I've actually accepted it.

I'm not happy about it. I never will be, the thought is improbable. Nevertheless, it's a little easier to breathe.

"It's hard for me… to face the reality, but I do because if I don't I'll break. My sanity will fly out the window and I'll… I'll just give up. I don't want to give up! Zero, I'll never give up. But I need your help not to. I'm not strong enough to fight it anymore. Can't you see? Can't you understand? I can't die alone." All of her attempts at withholding her emotions cracks under the pressure and her silent wheeze turn to full out sobs.

This time, I don't wait a second before I'm pulling open on the door handle and flying through the entryway in record speed. It feels so good to hold her in my arms, as I can't remember the last time I have. The heat of her weakened body is low, but still so, so warm and full of overwhelming heartbreak. Mentally, I hit myself over and over for ever putting her through the shit I did. I'm a horrible, selfish person and I can't believe what I've done. I can't believe I thought it was better for her that way. "You don't have to. Not now. I'm so sorry, Yuuki."

She's always been sincere, understanding. I just don't think I really ever appreciated it until she speaks her next sentences. "Zero-nii, I love you, I know you handle things differently. It's okay, because I'm here. You'll always have me." She always knows what to say, yet she is the one who should be comforted, not I.

The unspoken truth of '_until you die_,' remains in my thoughts, most likely hers as well.

I'll do anything to stop this cancerous disease from taking my best friend away from me, even at the cost of my already soiled, blackened soul. It's got to have some worth, even with the plague of hundreds of deaths on my hands and a past I'd much rather escape.

Oh, yes, I'll do whatever it takes.

**XOXOXO**

Darkness encompasses this side of the earth, my only light the endless stars and crescent moon that seems to glow a faint orange-red in the sky. A harvest moon, although not yet full. I haven't seen one of those in a long time, maybe since I was a child… in October. Why is the moon red in the middle of December? It could mean ill-fortune. I move on.

Down a mile long dirt path, covered in a mysteriously dangerous blanket of snow atop an inch thick layer of ice this time of year, is a garden of death that once held many traps against invaders surrounding a cursed mansion. What used to be a mansion, that is. Now, it's broken and collapsed inside and no longer occupied by people. Termites eat at the rotting wood, critters of the night making it their refuge. Long ago, it was inhabited by the most prestigious of pureblooded Vampires. To be more literal, the Vampire King himself.

Even with the longest bloodline of Hunters in my family(supposedly), I've yet to figure out just what took place in that house, but needless to say, they don't live there any more. There are stories of course, one's of assassin's and blood traitors, even some that stake the mother of the King an adulterer. All rumors, more of less, yet have potential to hold some truth. Instead, notorious Level End's seek the residual power of the Pureblood's that had lived there. Even after all these years, they can still smell the magic that covers this place.

I was sent here on a bounty hunt that's worth more than just an average Hunter assignment because of the danger it holds. There's a whole swarm of them in there, no for sure amount. It's alright, though, I'm determined. The money will give Yuuki three more weeks of medication, so it's worth it—whatever happens. At this point, I have no fear, no doubts, and (probably) no sense. All I have is a goal and my Hunter weapon, the infamous _Bloody Rose_, which I pull out and aim as I approach the front of the house.

From what I can see, the entryway is completely caved in, so I travel slowly around the back, keeping my senses open and ready for anything. Vermillion eyes of the End's settle on me, as calculating as they can be, but they don't pack together and jump me. If I dwell on the bizarreness of the situation, I'd get nowhere. I shake my head of those thoughts and continue on. The back is just as ruined, but I find my way in through a broken window behind a hibernating locus tree. Clumsy as I am, I accidentally slice my hand open on a protruding piece of weathered glass. Stupid move, Kiryu.

Bloodlust shows in my eyes with a vengeance, as I've been without blood for well over a month. A harsh pain in my stomach lurches me forward, but I recover as quickly as I can. I have to be on guard. Expecting a horde of blood hungry monsters charging at me, I'm surprised when I notice that the room I'm in, that appears to be the remains of a family room, is completely deserted. Grinding my teeth from the ache and frustration, I make my way into the next room and the next… but there are still no Level E's.

Just when I think about giving up, a crash enters my ears from the floor below. It must be the basement, but I have no idea where the stairs are to get down there. As unstable as the house is, ripping the floor away to jump down is unreasonable, so I check the rooms I've neglected for a way down. When I find one, it's a cellar door on the outside of the house, and it's also the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

I'm not afraid, even in my undermined state, so I advance again. No flashlight, only the all-seeing eyes of a predator.

There's a disgusting slurping noise, one that I've heard so many times, it's unmistakable. A curdling growl emanates around the stone walls, glowing red eyes staring straight through me over the shoulder of the dying human it's eating. It's decided that my eyes must match his, and the human blood in the air isn't helping. It smiles its warped, razor teeth smile at me and releases his meal to sit up at me.

Gurgling on the blood that's only half way down its throat, it says, "Mon ami, join me. Delish."

This… this thing thinks I'm… No wonder the other Level E'd that are supposed to be in here aren't attacking me. No wonder I only felt the eyes, never saw them. The most devastating hatred for myself enters my system, knowing that I am no better from them and am a hair's breath away from changing. The same look in his eyes is in mine, and I almost sympathize for the creature. But I have a job to do. For Yuuki, I take aim… the deformity launches itself at me with cries and wails of betrayal… and a shot reigns through the air.

No, there is no sympathy. Not today.

The Level E falls to the ground in a pile of wasted ash, and not a second after, dozens of ear piercing screams resonate in my head, and as quickly as I can I race out of the cellar. Better to face them all where I have room to maneuver.

Eight

Seven

Four

One step left until I'm outside.

Once again, I'm expecting something that doesn't happen. Where hordes of crazed Vampires should have been is nothing but ash… much like they've been murdered. But… by what? There's noting material in this world that could make thirty or so Vampires just disintegrate in a blink of an eye! Something's not right, something's terribly, terribly wrong. What in the hell killed all of those monsters?

Quickly, I aim my outstretched gun at eye level and check all around the back yard of the mansion. There are no disturbances of any kind anywhere around me, but what the hell is going on here? I hurry over to one of the many piles of ash and dust and let it run through my fingers. It's definitely from the deceased.

"What's an Association dog doing here?"

The voice comes from nowhere yet all around. _Bloody Rose_ is fast taking aim all around, in search of the source of the noise, but there is none. "W-where are you?"

"Answer my question."

"Ha, yeah… as if. It's none of your business why I'm here… Did you do this to these Level E's?"

"If I did?"

"Then I'd ask who the hell you are."

"I'm… the owner of this enchanted property."

"You're-!"

**XOXOXO**

**Preview for what's to come…**

"I can't. My sister's dying and she needs me."

"Dying…?"

"Y-yeah. Not that it's any of your business."

"Maybe not."

"Tch."

"…Let's make a deal."

Xoxoxo

"Do you love her?"

"Of course."

"I see… Does she know?"

"... Yeah."

"And does she love you?"

"… I believe so, yes."

"So that's how it ends?"

Xoxoxo

"Get off."

"No."

"It's torture!"

"Deal."

"Heartless bastard."

Xoxoxo

It's barely audible, but vampire senses pick the words up with little trouble. "… And if I say those words?"

They aren't what he wants to hear, not even the slightest. All of the shit he's been through with this man and he now, after all this time, he says _this_? Like it changes anything that's happened or fixes any part of him or what he's done. Like he can just make up for everything in one simple phrase that holds no significance to the other. But it does hold significance, doesn't it? The words have an even greater meaning than his actions, truth be told.

Now there's little he can do except beg to be heard, although the other man wants his voice to be heard. "I don't need you anymore. You cause me nothing but distress, and you take and take and take and you expect the world to just give it to you willingly. Well I'm not! I won't… so get out of my life. Just leave! I'll find someone else to…"

Glass shatters, he disappears, and life goes on.

Xoxoxo

"I didn't think…"

"You never do."

"Shut up. I can't believe… Why did—why are, I mean… Damnit." Tears.

Silence.

"Why are you here now?! Why, why…"

"I missed you."

"I hate you… I hate what you've turned me into."

There you go, just some brief dialogue to get your curiosity peeked. Hope it worked! Haha 3 It might not stay the same when I actually write it out, but it's the same idea. Nothing probably made sense, but… you'll get it in time, don't worry.

**XOXOXO**

It's finished! Oh lordy, I'm a little late, but I hope you all had a wonderful New Year celebration! I certainly did, and I'm ready for a looooong break from the holidays 3

Incase you've yet to realize, this story will be very dark and dangerous. Vampire Mafia, anyone? I was contemplating either making this story a normal Mafia plot, or the other YP story I'mma put out normal, but I've decided on this one being supernatural. It makes more sense this way, I think.

If you didn't follow along to that (lol) then what I meant was that I have another VK mafia story I'm gunna post, but it'll be with (all)humans instead of vampires and hunters.

I think I'll finish this story first before I put that one out though, maybeeeee. I always start other things before finishing a story. One of my greatest flaws, haha. Guess I'm never gunna be an accomplished writer.

ANYWAY, if you loved/hated it, either way, gimme some input please! It makes writing so much easier for me if I know what you wanna see/not see or whatever and that you liked it… That's the best thing, knowing that someone actually likes it. And it brings me joy and something to brag/complain about to my friends haha Life's never boring with reviews!

KANAME! I can't wait to see you in the next chapter!

Here's what to look forward to in the next chapter:

Kaname and Zero GET IT ON! Haha not really. They do talk, though. And they argue… a lot. Yay! V.V


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, guess who's back! I got snowed in last night, so what better way to spend my day off from school and not from work (though I go in a bit later) than writing, right? Gosh, I haven't done this in so long I don't even know where to begin, but here I go. Maybe I'll get it done before work tonight, I don't know. Hopefully, I do though because I have a busy schedule before the end of the school year, but I'm even off from work during the summer! Oh my gosh, how super sweet! I'm gunna be so free! Lol Sorry, I'm super excited!

Who'd a thunk, snow at the end of March? I suppose that's what I get for living in the mountains. Stupid snow… I don't care how beautiful you are, you soft, dangerous plushness!

The beginning may sound familiar, but there's a reason! I copied and pasted, but added extras in that ARE RELEVANT to the plot! I didn't put them in the last chapter because it's supposed to be a surprise, and here it is now! So enjoy! I hope you didn't see this coming . . maybe you did, but I had very suddle hints.

Warnings: Swearing, and uh… general weirdness I guess. You'll have to see for yourself! But there isn't much to be cautious about… for now!

AH! Okay, I'm done talking after a special thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed, favorited, and alerted! I'm surprised so many of you like it so far. I know it has a lot of Yuuki and Zero moments in it right now, but that'll change.

**Yakuza Paranoia III: Acid Town**

**Chapter III: Troubled Query**

I was sent here on a bounty hunt that's worth more than just an average Hunter assignment because of the danger it holds. There's a whole swarm of them in there, no for sure amount. It's alright, though, I'm determined. The money will give Yuuki three more weeks of medication, so it's worth it—whatever happens. At this point, I have no fear, no doubts, and (probably) no sense. All I have is a goal and my Hunter weapon, the infamous _Bloody Rose_, which I pull out and aim as I approach the front of the house.

From what I can see, the entryway is completely caved in, so I travel slowly around the back, keeping my senses open and ready for anything. Vermillion eyes of the End's settle on me, as calculating as they can be, but they don't pack together and jump me. If I dwell on the bizarreness of the situation, I'd get nowhere. I shake my head of those thoughts and continue on. The back is just as ruined, but I find my way in through a broken window behind a hibernating locus tree. Clumsy as I am, I accidentally slice my hand open on a protruding piece of weathered glass. Stupid move, Kiryu.

Bloodlust shows in my eyes with a vengeance, as I've been without blood for well over a month. A harsh pain in my stomach lurches me forward, but I recover as quickly as I can. I have to be on guard. Expecting a horde of blood hungry monsters charging at me, I'm surprised when I notice that the room I'm in, that appears to be the remains of a family room, is completely deserted. One more glance around the room to be sure of my solidarity. My vision catches something move in the corner, violet irises flick to the movement, but see nothing.

That is, until the shine reflects again.

I walk closer to the spot of light to get a better view. The shine comes from something on the floor, and at first I think it glass, nothing more. But a double take has my eyes widening, my feet shifting, and my fingers twitching uncomfortable around my gun.

It's a ring.

An expensive one.

So many possibilities race through my mind. All of my money goes to Yuuki, who still needs more to continue her treatments. That's a fact. Nobody lives here… this amethyst gem has been left forgotten for decades. Nobody will know, no one will question… What's the harm in taking it? I can't rationalize one. Thieving hands seize the object from the debris and slip it onto my finger.

Am I okay with this?

I have to be, for my sister.

Grinding my teeth from the ache and frustration, I make my way into the next room and the next… but there are still no Level E's.

Just when I think about giving up, a crash enters my ears from the floor below. It must be the basement, but I have no idea where the stairs are to get down there. As unstable as the house is, ripping the floor away to jump down is unreasonable, so I check the rooms I've neglected for a way down. When I find one, it's a cellar door on the outside of the house, and it's also the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

I'm not afraid, even in my undermined state, so I advance again. No flashlight, only the all-seeing eyes of a predator.

There's a disgusting slurping noise, one that I've heard so many times, it's unmistakable. A curdling growl emanates around the stone walls, glowing red eyes staring straight through me over the shoulder of the dying human it's eating. It's decided that my eyes must match his, and the human blood in the air isn't helping. It smiles its warped, razor teeth smile at me and releases his meal to sit up at me.

Gurgling on the blood that's only half way down its throat, it says, "Mon ami, join me. Delish."

This… this thing thinks I'm… No wonder the other Level E'd that are supposed to be in here aren't attacking me. No wonder I only felt the eyes, never saw them. The most devastating hatred for myself enters my system, knowing that I am no better from them and am a hair's breath away from changing. The same look in his eyes is in mine, and I almost sympathize for the creature. But I have a job to do. For Yuuki, I take aim… the deformity launches itself at me with cries and wails of betrayal… and a shot reigns through the air.

No, there is no sympathy. Not today.

The Level E falls to the ground in a pile of wasted ash, and not a second after, dozens of ear piercing screams resonate in my head, and as quickly as I can I race out of the cellar. Better to face them all where I have room to maneuver.

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One step left until I'm outside.

Once again, I'm expecting something that doesn't happen. Where hordes of crazed Vampires should have been is nothing but ash… much like they've been murdered. But… by what? There's noting material in this world that could make thirty or so Vampires just disintegrate in a blink of an eye! Something's not right, something's terribly, terribly wrong. What in the hell killed all of those monsters?

Quickly, I aim my outstretched gun at eye level and check all around the back yard of the mansion. There are no disturbances of any kind anywhere around me, but what the hell is going on here? I hurry over to one of the many piles of ash and dust and let it run through my fingers. It's definitely from the deceased.

"What's an Association dog doing here?" A voice from the shadows calls to me. And although I cannot pinpoint a direct location, I look behind me to the area it seems to have come form. Even my enhanced Vampire/Hunter eyesight can't see anything out of place. _Bloody Rose_ is fast taking aim all around, in search of the source of the noise, but there is none.

"W-where are you?" Not all of the panic disguises and some reaches forth from the interior of my frantic heart. Whoever this was, whether there are one or many, wiped out dozens of Level E's in but the short moment that I encountered just one in the cellar. I'm not far off from a Level E—not much stronger, though trained—so I'll have to play my cards right. Showing weakness and getting angry too quickly can be my ultimate demise.

"Answer my question."

"Ha, yeah… as if. It's none of your business why I'm here… Did you do this to these Level E's? Just you?"

"If I did?" The answer gives me enough confirmation that there is only him, hiding from me. No others, and that's a huge relief… almost. Just one man strong enough to take out all of those wild Vampires? Something doesn't make sense here.

"Then I'd ask who the hell you are."

Laughter fills the empty space of the courtyard. Laughter from the monster in the shadows, who gradually, finally, steps out of the darkness. I can see him now, he's tall and lean and just looking at him, it's hard to believe he really turned all of those powerful Vampire's into mere dust, dust that's being swept away by the wind.

No I know what's wrong with this picture, what I should've realized from the very beginning.

A gasp knocks me back a step, threatening to send me to my knees. Never before have I encountered a beast like this, even working for the Association. Never before have I ever thought I'd see someone like this man in the material world. Never, ever, did I ever believe I'd speak to one.

This is no man, this is a Demon masquerading.

He takes lives, steals the souls of the innocent like a reaper.

He is within the same class of Vampire that turns regular humans into monsters themselves. It's _his_ kind that creates mine, creates the Level End's that the Association is trying so hard to keep from destroying everything. His _kind_ that turned me, the Association's best Hunter into a _bloodsucker_ myself.

"You're a Pureblood, you _Vampire_ scum!" My anger is at it's boiling point. No amount of counting and deep breaths will calm my racing heartbeat, my rising temperature, or my clenching and perspiring fist now.

His amused smirk turns into a snarl, one matching my own but so much more terrifying. "You are one as well, Hunter. Although I didn't realize it until I saw your weapon, and your eyes. You aren't crazed like them, but you're soon to be. Interesting fate, I'd say."

"Shut your disgusting face, asshole, you know nothing of me!"

"I can guess. You hold the hatred for Vampire's that all in the Association hold, but yours runs so deep that it consumes all of you, I can see it. You weren't just convinced that we're monsters, you had first hand experience. Something to do with the Pureblood who changed you, hmm? Now you've become one of the monsters you despise and it tears you up inside. I bet you've tried to kill yourself numerous times."

_Bloody Rose_ takes aim, never having fully been lowered. "Wrong, bloodsucker. You don't know anything about me." When nothing else is said, I continue, "Well, they're taken care of, so I'm out." There's no way I'm going to stay here in his company. I'd rather see the Pureblood that turned me because at least then I could take my revenge. I have no reason to associate with this guy.

Suddenly, before I can turn my back to the creature, my leg muscles freeze. They don't cooperate with my will, but there's nothing visible stopping them. I frown, struggling against the invisible chains. "Don't move." He's furious as he treks up to me, but I'm more focused on my bound legs and trying to free them. That is, until he steps a little too close and the hand around my gun rises into the air voluntarily.

"Don't come any closer! What the fuck did you do? Why can't my—" That's it—it finally clicks in my head. Yagari told me once that if I ever encountered a Pureblood, hostile or not, to turn and run. Forget my mission, forget the Level E's and just run because they have unimaginable telepathic powers that they can use at will. Since animals have no regret for their actions, they'd kill you in a second just for breathing the wrong way. Powerful to a godlike degree—with a temper to match—that's a Pureblood. That's what I should've ran from when I had the chance. Why didn't I remember until just now?

Slowly, the authority of the Pureblood has my gun sinking to the ground, but my sheer stubbornness refuses to let it, so I struggle to keep it up, trained at least _somewhere_ on him. As he steps closer, it's harder and harder to keep it up. When his chest presses into the barrel, I think of pulling the trigger, but the hand that grasps the gun is taken hold by the Vampire. "Get the fuck off of me, Vampire!"

"You _are_ one of us, Hunter. Your thirst for blood is greater than any of us born Vampires! Soon, it'll be just as horrific as those Es you so sympathize with."

"Didn't I say not to compare me to them! I'm not a monster! I'll never surrender to a fate such as that!" My body's soon completely taken over by the force of his command and I feel as helpless as I did the night of my transformation. A flashback forms in my mind from such similarities in this traumatic situation.

_Light pink sakura pedals, stained red with crimson blood, flow chaotically through the zephyrean winds, dancing silently to the rhythm of death._

I try to shake the memory to the farthest reaches of my subconscious, but what was once pushed back is now bubbling at the surface of an endless pit of memoirs. Reality fades quickly, the brunette Pureblood turning to one with silver hair and glowing cherry eyes.

"No!" I snap myself back to the present. I gasp for breath, still firmly in the Pureblood's telekinetic hold. "No, I'm not like them."

"You're right," he says, turning my hand over so he can see it. "You're worse, thief." Cold eyes flash vermillion, letting me in on his true anger just a bit before flashing back. "Where did you get this?" It's as if his eyes never changed, and his anger never sky-rocketed, but I know it's still there, hidden way under. "Where!" He snaps again, breaking his resolve once more.

"I-I found it, it's mine." I jolt, fear snaking into my scent.

"Oh contraire, dear Hunter. You found amongst the rubble of this house, I presume. And you thought that taking it would have no consequences?" The grip on my wrist grows tight such does his annoyance.

"No! No, I'm not a thief!" I can't believe he'd assume so harshly. Was what I took really that big of a deal anyway? And from such a discarded mansion as this that the owner didn't even care to take a piece of jewelry he'd most likely be able to buy twenty times over? This place it huge! Who'd miss something so small as a ring? Though, technically, I guess I _did_ take it, but how'd he know that?

"A thief steals, Hunter, which is what you were trying to get away with."

"This is different!"

"How so? You break into my childhood home like a wild animal, or worse, and acquire whatever treasured family heirlooms you wish."

So it's his, that's how he knows. I stole something precious to him… but can a Pureblood really have anything precious? It's just a ring. With the money I'm sure he has, he could have a new one made. Then again, he did say it was a family heirloom… Damnit, I'm so sorry, Yuuki. I'll have to find another way to pay for your medication.

I sigh, tears threatening to form. Things like this never go in my favor. "Take it, then." It comes out a bit more harshly than I intend, but as long as he lets me go, I don't care right now. Damn my sense of right and wrong!

He observes me with cool eyes, still as full with malice as they have been, and look me up and down. I feel a bit disturbed, like he's taking a ride on my soul train and stopping at every secret. I wonder if mind reading is an ability Pureblooded Vampires can have. "…You're a pathetic creature, Hunt—"

"Zero Kiryuu, asshole. My name isn't Hunter, it's just what I do."

"Kiryuu… Imagine that. One of the Association's best Hunters, and yet look at you—a starving D-class vampire on the verge of descending to a point where there is no return. You don't deserve the title of Kiryuu…

"Why not drink blood? Human morals, perhaps? Why not blood tablets… unless your body rejects them?"

Remaining silent, I glare sharply, directly into his burgundy eyes. Something in them catches and flashes again.

"Stubborn, aren't you?"

"You could say that."

"Do you hate yourself so much?"

How could he know how much that statement hurts? There have been so many things I've done that I regret, so many things I would change in a heart beat if I could just go back and redo the past. But I can't redo the past. If only…

"…No… that's not it."

"Then why?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but the money I make has to go to different things."

"A debt?"

"Not exactly." I can't just say to a complete stranger what I'm going through, can I? Even if I can, do I really want to? I haven't spoken once to anyone about what's been going on, not even Cross… not even Yuuki! Though, I suppose with great assurance, that speaking my troubles to someone who has no inside connection and no right to judge will relieve some of my pain. Without a second thought, I close my eyes and reach into my heart, pulling out the truth that so desperately hurts me. Maybe after this, I'll feel at least a little better. "Yuuki is…" Choking, it's hard to continue.

His eyes squint a fraction of an inch together, trying to figure out what I mean. "Your lover?"

"No," I reply with dread in my soul. If only he knew how much I wish she was. As of recently, I have not been there for her and I do not feel that I deserve her, but… "My sister. She needs me." If I only knew that saying those words aloud would force me to come to terms with reality so harshly as to nearly send me to my knees. In reality I'm hopelessly lost, unable to help her at all. If fact, I'm making it worse by not being there for her. She does need me, but I… have yet to compensate.

The Pureblood contemplates my words' meanings before calmly asking, "how much?" As kind as his tone, his hand's grip turns gentler, yet still with the bitter taste of scrutiny. "How much?" He repeats.

I let out a long sigh, still not comfortable relaying my problems onto others, but what else can I do? I'm standing between a rock and a hard place—or in this case a Pureblood and mental break down—and am practically being obliged. "She's, uh… terribly ill."

Whether or not he believes me goes unvoiced, but all the same he releases me, both from body and mind. The blunt of suddenness has me gasping for air I didn't realize I was holding in and massaging my numb legs to bring back life and circulation. "Some power." I mutter under my breath, knowing the other can clearly hear me, but pretending he doesn't. It's healthier for my mental well-being right now if I don't know the mysterious, other-worldly strength he possesses.

Suddenly, my world fades around me, everywhere I can see darkens. I'm left to question why as I stand up straight in my confusion. The black is moving, swirling in a windless tornado. "V-vampire?" The temperature drops in the center of the vortex, and out of the corner of my eye I can see the color returning as quickly as it came. As it grows smaller, I notice the black is not just darkness, but something very much alive. Flapping, screeching, it's a whirlpool of bats!

"Keep the ring" They whisper before flying away together in a colony, all of them for one vampire.

The strange abilities of Purebloods.

XOXOXO

(A/N: To those of you who like country music, I was listening to Rascal Flatts 'Let is hurt' and 'Come Wake Me Up' while I typed this section.)

My steps are soundless as I cross the threshold from my secured domain into a region I've avoided for many weeks. Things may have changed and become less safe, so I proceed with caution, tiptoeing every area as if a landmine were present. Finally turning the corner, I eye my sister's door like a safe house. My objective, my only place of refuge.

I question my decision with every second that passes, with every step I take or don't take.

Should I really change my mind and see her when my reasons for not were so valid before?

Am I really the type of person who'd consciously remain blind to this to benefit my own mental health, rather than help her through her problem so she's happy (for the most part)?

Most of all, I'm worried about her reaction.

How badly does she despise me for what I've done?

Funny how my most hated enemy can (unintentionally) help me see reason.

Taking a moment to clam my nerves, I, for the first time in what seems forever, set about knocking on Yuuki's bedroom door.

"One second, Daddy," is heard through the antique wood frame. The sickness in her voice plagues me. Why is someone so kindhearted and good-natured going through something like this? It should be someone deserving—someone like me.

It's hard to bring myself to utter even a single syllable, "It's me, Yuu—"

"Zero!?"

The next thing I know the door swings open and a fragile bundle throws itself into my arms. She's shaking with tears—my fault—and I'm on the verge of waterworks myself. I didn't recognize just how much ache I've caused her, nor that she never hated me for it at all. She misses me, as I do her, and I'm so very glad I've overcome my long-ridden unknowingness.

No, no, I'm not blind. I can see the pain in her brown orbs as clear as crystal.

I can see who caused her this pain.

"Yeah… Yeah, it's me, Yuu." I articulate into her soft, pale ear, whisking the hair from her delicate face. Reveling in the feel of her I've deprived myself of for weeks, I inhale her sickly smell, though perfumed in her natural flowery scent. It's nice to be back in her arms.

**XOXOXO**

I literally wrote this in a couple hours, so any mistakes are because I didn't really check over this before I posted it. I was just so excited to actually have written this that I didn't even care, so if it's nothing major then just ignore it please. I got it done way sooner than I thought I would. I'll go back and edit later.

How'd everyone like Kaname? Did I keep him in character? I hope I did haha He's tricky… Cruel with a compassionate twinkle that I hope will come out soon. Of course Zero isn't easy either, broken and insecure but with a stubborn flare that hides his pain. And Yuuki, with her gentleness that hides hers too, but she's so strong inside and out, I don't even know. They're so interesting and fun to write about.

Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites! They let me know that you actually like this story! Or don't like it, whatever

More Kaname in the next chapter! Maybe even the start of KaZe? You'll have to find out!

Until next time!

Yuruki out.


	4. Chapter 4

Summer, summer, summer!

*Breaks down in a blubbering, teary mess* the moment I realize I only have a few more years of summer break left. I don't wanna grow up and be a productive member of society yet! Although, I don't know if my life choice will be productive to others at all.

Here ya'll are, another installment of my VK story! You might be confused, but hey, Zero is too so it's okay! All will be revealed later on, and some secrets actually are revealed!

Warnings: Language! And as the chapter title suggests, a confrontation! But between who? Hmm… questions, questions. Read to find out! Also, there's some Yuuki/Zero drama gettin' thrown down and maybe a tiny bit of Cross's signature comic relief. Hope you like it!

Also, any mistakes are my own because I was trying to get this chapter out really quick and wasn't really paying attention to any repeating words or grammar mistakes. Gomen!

**Yakuza Paranoia III: Acid Town**

**Chapter 4: Certain Confusion Causes Confrontation**

The focused image is a silver vestige passed down through the ages of the Pureblood legacy, the power of which it represents, undetermined. A mystical gem, as saintly as the artifact itself, only adds to the rarity. The amethyst sparkles in the casted light of the morning sun through the crystal glass of the window, catching my eye. I raise the hand it encompasses for a better look, and the backdrop of the fresh purple lilies Yuuki propped in an antique vase makes due to the artistic scenery. The beauty of this single piece of jewelry, though possibly hundreds of years old yet still well preserved, is so captivating I can hardly keep my gaze from it. Perhaps this is part of the reason why I can not sell it. The original purpose for my immoral thievery was for my dear sister, so that she has what she needs. Every fiber of my being realizes this and screams at me for denying its obsession, and yet I cannot stop myself from being selfish in this situation. Why, I cannot say. All I know is that the more I stare into this radiant stone, the more my heart yearns for something unknown.

Reluctantly I turn my thoughts and eyes away from the Pureblood's family heirloom and pull the covers from my being. Stretching my aching muscles as I sit up in bed hurts more than normal, for reasons that are—at this point—irritating. The hunger is becoming too much for my starving body, and at this rate, I have but a few days, a week tops, before I'll have to be locked away or else harm those I care for. I can already feel the instability and irrationality setting into my hyper-alert craze, proven by the intense concentration I just exerted on the ring. I'm not the only one who's noticed, either. Both other residents of this house have confronted me about it, "beyond worried" about how pale and thin I've become and how closely I resemble Yuuki. However, both also know that we have no money to spare on blood tablets that have less than a fifty percent chance of cooperating with my digestive track anyway. My logic: as long as Yuuki has an adequate supply of medicine, I will suffer through this pain as elegantly as I must.

Even if I had the chance to take them, at this stage of famine blood tablets are most likely ineffective.

_Unless your body rejects them?_

If he only knew.

Still, I can't get his words out of my head. The things he said were as if he knew everything of my past, though not completely accurate. He was guessing, but his guesses were enough to make me think deeply and reflect. There are still so many things about me—my family, my childhood—that I have not a clue about. It's living a life where I know who I am—my name, my opinions, and my aspirations—and yet knowing that if I knew even one thing about my past, the risk of those things I'm so sure about changing is great enough to have me not wanting to figure out anything. The truth is that I'm terrified of what I don't know, and while I'm beyond furious at the Pureblooded Vampire that destroyed my family, it's like being angry at a person for stealing a stranger's car. I can't remember my family, and it's hard for me to care about them. Nor can I remember the face of the murderer who slaughtered them like cattle, without a care. Nevertheless, they're the only thing I have to hold on to.

Nameless faces I can't recall, like ghosts in a broken home.

Speaking of ghosts, the sight that greets me as I walk into the adjoining bathroom bears a certain similarity to one. I'm disgusted by the sight, by my own body. White skin turned so thin that purple veins show through, hair dull in luster, and eyes surrounded by black, tired pools—the despicable eyes of a menacing killer. Bones protrude from underneath the surface, making out to be a skeleton with flesh pulled over as coverage for the wicked truth. I am nothing more than a starving animal, no better than one, either.

_Someone take pity on me and put me out of my misery._

My shirt is a hassle to peel off, considering my tired muscles, but I don't get very far in doing that when I'm interrupted by a door slamming into my side. I guess social acceptability and house hold etiquette rules have changed since the last time I was around civilization. Before I left, it was rude to barge in on someone in the bathroom. "Didn't your mother teach you to knock?" I exclaim to my red-faced friend.

"Well, if you'd have answered me I wouldn't have barged in!" She's exhausted from her exertions, it's easy to see from her excessive huffing and sweating brow. Obviously, she isn't lying when she said she was calling for me, but even with my superior hearing I didn't notice a thing! Am I really that distracted by my own disgusting body? …No, that's not it. There's no doubt about it—the crazed state of the beast within me actually is rising to the surface.

"Why would that matter?!" At her silence, I continue, a little more than freaked out at my own lack of attentiveness. "You shouldn't just walk into a place that isn't yours unless you're invited in."

"What am I, a vampire from a storybook?!" She takes the time and what little strength she has to bop me on the arm. "I'm just worried about you, Zero!"

My eyes grow wide in surprise. I'd known they'd recognized the changes, but never in my life did I expect it to go so far as to worry them. Then again, I should've known. "Worried?" Frustrated, I turn my sight to the floor beside me and clench my fists.

Her brows lift at my blow, wondering what caused it. "Yeah! Y-you're—I… Cross said—"

"What is it, Yuuki?"

"Dad and I… are worried that you haven't been… _providing_ your body the necessary nourishment it… requires."

_Oh, shit._

I knew one day they'd take notice and finally admit to it, but I'm not prepared for it to be today. In fact, as much as I anticipated a confrontation, I haven't planned for one at all—and I certainly didn't expect it to be like this. My thoughts become a jumbled mess of excuses and rationale in my attempt at making a plausible reason or even something smart to say. I can say anything, anything at all, but my mind goes blank.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Exhaling, I try to put on enough of a show to convince her. Frowning my usual scowl is as easy as shooting a gun where pretending is concerned, so I continue my charade as flawlessly as possible. "Don't waste your breath worrying about me, Yuuki. I'm just… a little stressed because of our… current situation."

"Zero…" Her sad expression plucks at my heartstrings.

I sigh, ruffling her feathery, brown hair and try to force a smile. "You being sick gets to us all, Yuu, but that's only because we care about you. So don't bother yourself with me, okay? I know my limits."

"Zero… if you need to… you can always drink—"

_Oh, no._

"Shut up, you don't know what you're saying." I yell, knowing that if one little misstep occurs then I'm taking her down with me.

She grabs hold of my naked arms, pulling me closer to her. Her eyes flare with determination, regarding me in discrepancy. "Yes, I do know! I'm offering it to you so that—"

This escalated too quickly, and god, her coursing blood is so close… so ready for me. "Yuuki, I'm not drinking your blood, end of story."

"But it'll help you!"

She's right, it will help me. My mouth waters at just the thought, though doesn't help my dry throat from burning for a taste of bittersweet deliciousness. Practically feeling the color changing in my irises, the monster in me craves for what she's so blatantly offering, yet the humane side of me—the good side of morals and reason—knows that this is an impossibility. I can't drink my friends blood, I won't, so I try to focus back into my original state. It takes a lot more force than it usually does, but I manage.

"And make you worse!"

Her gaping mouth closes abruptly at me and silence reins over the both of us.

"Just get out." I yell, revolving my torso around so I'm looking anywhere but at her. Powerlessness in this situation is intolerable, but happening nonetheless, and that's hard for a prideful man, such as myself though I hate to admit it, to handle. "The cancer in your blood makes you smell repulsive, anyway." I had to say something, and, really, there are worse things I could've said.

_Please, please just go away. You're too close to the raging beast inside me, one string snap away from breaking free. Just the thought of your blood, as I've tasted it once or twice before, is too much for me to handle. I'm going to crack, to shatter, if you come any closer. I don't want to drink your blood. Don't you see?! You're too sick to take from! Be smart and be selfish for once, you stupid, little girl! Get the fuck away from me!_

There's only silence as she stares, most likely exasperated and in disbelief by my declare, but at this point I couldn't care a drop less. "Fine." Thank God, there are no tears from her pretty, brown eyes or I'd feel like the biggest asshole on the face of the planet, but forceful rejection is the only way to get her to understand. I can't drink her blood—I won't. With a huff of her breath and a turn on her heels, she's out my bedroom door and carrying on with her day as if nothing ever happened, and that's how I prefer it.

As soon as she leaves it's like a huge weight has been lifted from my chest and the air around me isn't quite as suffocating.

Until it hits me like a flying brick wall at how close I was to feeding, to stopping this pain. Damn Yuuki for having my body remember the feeling of satisfaction and full-ness. An onset of cramps churn my stomach so aching, I fall to the toilet to throw up… nothing. Pale hands rise to my throat in an attempt to stop the fire blazing inside. Blood, blood, _blood_ is all I can think, all I can imagine seeing, feeling, _eating_! It was all right in front of me, so delicately offered up on a silver platter and I _refused_ like the self-righteous bastard I am! I could've had it. I could've been so healthy and fulfilled, so… so… dehumanized.

_I… could've… drunk my sister's blood. I could've killed her! What was I thinking!_

I grab fists full of silver hair to rip from my scalp, to distract me from my demon thoughts and soreness. Countless times I guide my hands to throw my head into the wall beside me, trying to keep what little good sense I have left. _Humans_, I repeat in my mind. _Don't eat. Don't eat._

_ Damn you!_

XOXOXO

After my shower, I head downstairs to the kitchen for some much needed (human) food. Making breakfast is something I secretly enjoy, but I'd never tell a soul because I have a certain personality and reputation to uphold. A towel wraps around my shoulders, but I quickly remove it and throw it in a nearby hamper to set about making breakfast.

I consider apologizing to my sister whenever she comes down to eat because I know I shouldn't have said such cruel things to her, even if it was the only way. If I had made her cry, my guilty conscience would have made it ten times worse, but for now, I have to surmise my plan of attack. Although, it may not be necessary because whenever I plan on apologizing a certain way, her beautiful puppy eyes make me lose all arrangements I had previous to seeing them and I do something I never thought I'd do—such as running up to give her a gigantic bear hug. She has this devious way of making me do things out of character sometimes, and it's scary, but I believe she knows what she does to me. I can only hope she doesn't intentionally try to manipulate me.

While thinking, I do the normal routine in preparing to prepare a meal. I grab from the fridge and pantry the required ingredients, search endless cabinets for skillets and pans, reach in various drawers for spatulas', serving spoons, and forks, then finally set about making the food. Today, I settle on pancakes and homemade vegetarian breakfast burritos, high in saturated fat, fiber, and vitamin A.

Cross is the first one to come to the kitchen this morning, fully dressed and holding a newspaper, which leads me to believe he was either running some errands or visiting someone and stopped to pick up the mail. Nothing unusual, just an observation. That is, it's only unusual when he hands me something out of the small pile of postal papers—I never get mail!

Peculiarly, I examine it, and take precautions as it doesn't even have our home or a return address. The white slip of paper does, however, have my family name printed on the front in careful handwriting. This penmanship is elegantly divine, not a trait just anyone has, so I don't recognize it to be of anyone's I know personally. Unsure of who sent the letter and the small, wrapped package attached to it, I'm also unsure if I even want to open it.

Curiosity grabs a firm hold of me and I'm unable to resist opening the envelope. Unfolding the letter, I make out in the same eloquent writing the words, _"A gift, for the noble Hunter."_

It's short and to the point and I find myself still as confused and clueless as I was before reading the note. I've only ever gotten the occasional present from the Association after doing an "outstanding job" on an assignment or something ridiculous like that, so on one hand I'm suspicious—as it's not common to have something for me in the mail—while on the other hand I just want to tear into the brown paper enclosing the treasure and discover its secrets. Shaking it, I hear thumping and banging, which leads me to the conclusion that it's a container with something inside.

My eyes flare up, as it can only be one thing. Almost animalistic, I rip through the silver paper only to have my suspicions confirmed. Inside the metallic wrapping is a metal container that conveniently holds dozens of tiny, red pills. Red pills can't mean but one thing.

Blood tablets.

I have to be sure, so I tear through the cupboard looking for a cup to fill with water, and when I drop the capsule in, sure enough it dissolves like powder and stains the liquid red. Anger overwhelms me, and I throw the cheap, plastic cup to the ground, splashing all of it's crimson contents on the tile. All I can think is of mockery and failure. Is he criticizing me, ridiculing, deceiving, or laughing at me?! Does he enjoy my pain and misery so much that he must _mock_ me now in my final days?

Then again, as I take in endless deep breaths and calm my mind, these pills could be my way out, the mercy I've been praying for. But delivered by the hands of a bloodthirsty demon, as a race hell bent on eradicating said creatures, I cannot accept even the slightest help on my backwards road to salvation.

There's only one way to figure out what the meaning of this truly is, and I know just where to go and just who to see.

XOXOXO

A familiar sight of a rundown, oversized shack greets me as I reveal myself from the foliage surrounding the only carved pathway to this private property. Gorgeous exterior architecture, with columns ten feet tall, balconies on the third floor that would overlook the central garden, and an all around castle-like design, that was at one time painted a pearl white with (possibly real) gold trim is now ruined forever. The roof is collapsing, the columns are in rubble, and the balconies are hanging by on by such a thin thread that one wrong move, one wrong step could cause a major catastrophe. What once was possibly a remarkable landmark in this little town is now gone and lost in history.

Picturing this in its glory days in almost impossible, but I try to connect myself to its former grandeur.

_Purebloods and their high class taste._

Speaking of Purebloods, rustling of the autumn leaves behind me alerts my senses to the approaching Vampire, though a respectable distance away. His callous voice first cuts through the quiet atmosphere of the surrounding area and then through my ears as a torrent of red flags. At this point, I'm not sure if coming here was such a good idea, but I'm here now and I can't just run away and prolong this meeting even further. Sophistication and intimidation float around as microscopic particles in his powerful aura, and it's been hard, but I've lasted this long so far. "I see you didn't waste any time."

"Don't act surprised. You practically ordered me here…" Casting one last glance around the property, I ask, "What is this place to you?"

He doesn't need to follow my line of sight because he's seen everything here a thousand times. Even though he doesn't let his emotions show through his practiced, facial façade, his eyes hold a depth that's seen the world and knows its pain. He's hiding something, but aren't we all? "This place? Perhaps you'll discover its secrets one day."

"I couldn't care less." The evil creature simply smiles its deliberateness, which pisses me off beyond compare. "I don't need, nor do I want, your charity, Pureblood. I only came here to give these back." With a furious snort, I toss the packet to the ground before the Purebloods feet. Try them apples, asshole.

"…I see." Incensed and ready to leave, I turn around to do just that. My mind was already on the long walk home with one step in that direction. "Do you not wish to know the reason I sent them?"

This has me stopping. What does he think? Of course I'd like to know! "I didn't think you'd tell me if I'd ask."

"You thought wrong." As I turn around, I'm not expecting to be so close to the monster that sounded so far away just a moment ago. A shaky breath I hale as I run my gaze from eye level with his chest to his flawless face that's seemingly carved by the Greek gods book of handsome. This time, his voice is softer, but still as firm in its delivery. "Think of it as an act of desired peace. I want to make a deal with you."

Not wanting to seem weak, I try to keep my voice level, my back straight, and my feet properly parted, but there's a very loud part of me that wants to scream at him, to punch him in his smirking face and back as far away from him as I can. "W-what kind of deal?"

"I realize you've been trying very hard for your sister, am I right?"

_Is that a rhetorical question?_

"Of course I am, but what does that have anything to do with this?"

"You cannot help her when you're falling so quickly to the status of a Level E." Lilac orbs narrow at the daring bastards statement, but slightly parted lips make no sound as the man opposite to me continues with his vindictiveness. "And with income best used for something else, you are unable to afford the necessary nutrition that body of yours requires."

"I already know this, so what's your point?"

_What kind of games are you playing, Vampire?_

His elegant hand whips out from his side to snatch mine in its grasp. Briefly, he runs his thumb over the amethyst ring he so kindly gave to me, then turns my hand over to place the discarded box of blood tablets in my palm. "My point, dear Hunter, is I can give you that nutrition. No hidden strings attached."

Angry, I take the offending object and shove it in my pocket. Confused, I did what anyone would do in my situation and asked why.

"This house was my childhood home. All I ask of you, is that in your spare time between caring for your ill sister and doing your civic duty as an Association Hunter, you help to restore it." Aw, so that's all he wants from me. To do construction on a termite infested, collapsing mess of a tornado inferno natural disaster of a wrecked home is not in my job description—what in the fiery pits of hell is this idiot thinking? I don't know that first thing about _building_ a dog house, let alone a fucking mansion!

"You… want me to be your personal construction agent?" My voice is surprisingly composed despite my inner brooding.

To which the dark one replied, "Mhm."

Okay, obviously I need a new approach to getting him to see I'm in no way qualified for this kind of job. "Can't you just hire someone? Why do you have to ask me?"

Suddenly, he sighs, dropping my hand that, in the heat of the moment, I forgot was even in his grasp. "I must admit, I have another job to ask of you that's the main reason I requested you in the first place." He's poised and business-like, almost as if he wanted me to ask for the real reason behind his bewildering actions. Either way, I just want my answers.

"And?"

A deadly pause has even a nearby bird flying away from the added tension. He makes a point to send an intense look straight into my core. "I want every inch of this place rigged with Hunter symbols."

Every question I thought was answered, just slammed in my face the countless ones I still don't know anything about. "…You want your childhood home… boobytrapped?"

"In simpler words, that'd be correct."

"Whatever for?"

"I'll be expecting your answer by tomorrow, as I'm in a bit of a hurry to get this project started. Just keep the blood tablet's and her health in mind, Kiryu."

In a dark flash, he's gone just as quickly as he was at our first encounter, leaving me here to set my racing mind at ease. These reoccurring meetings will be the death of me, I'm certain.

Not seeing any negative consequences to agreeing to the Vampires request, I already have an answer circling in my head. However, there are so many unanswered questions, unvoiced concerns, and unknown history. What is this place, especially to that creature? What happened here, and who caused such devastating destruction? Aren't there some things he should've told me, aren't they important information? There's only one solution to figuring these things out and how they're all connected.

As I start on my way home, quickly I search for a device I've had since ancient times yet rarely ever use. Pulling out my cellphone that I find in the interior of my brown Hunter boot, issued by the Association a long time ago, I speed dial Cross's number. A few rings later he answers the phone in his typical "daddy" voice, "My dear son, what pleasure I receive from seeing your name flash across my caller ID!"

"Cross, what do you know about the abandoned Pureblood residence on the southern outskirts of town?"

"Pureblood, you say?"

"I did a job there just a few days ago. I'll be going back."

**XOXOXO**

Questions, concerns, or comments? Love it, hate it, or undecided? Leave a review and let me know! I know where I want this story to go, but I'm not completely sure about all the fine details yet so reviews can help me conjure up ideas. Take for example, if someone said they think Zero looks cute in a little frilly apron, maybe I'll have him cook a cute little chocolate chip pancake because that's how words get played.

Here's the thing about my next update. (SPOILER! Kind of. If you don't want to know, don't read.) I'll be including some of the houses history in the next chapter, and I haven't quite figured it all out yet (it's another detail thing) and I have to be careful it all flows together to make the end product of my story, so it might take a loooooong time to update, and incase it does I don't want anyone to worry. I'm not giving up on any of my stories, at least not until they're completely finished and published.

See you next time!

Yuruki


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